Entrance - Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm

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Music reviews of Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm

Music Review: Junkmedia.org Review - Madcap Tendencies
Rating: 2 Stars

That said, some people may find Blakeslee's open-tuned, hyper-strummed and eccentric-styled folk/blues interesting in smaller doses. The best track by far on this album comes early, with a reworking of Skip James' "I'm So Glad." It is a spirited rendition, infused with a spluttering sincerity and ramshackle guitar work. However, this track is also an example of how the aforementioned neighbor often does better with others' material. Taking tried and true classics and giving them a different spin can often yield pleasant surprises and grab the attention of otherwise disinterested listeners. Yet the trick is to keep those listeners around once one moves into original content.

Blakeslee doesn't really succeed in doing this for a variety of reasons. The main problem is that too many of these tracks end up sounding the same for too long. More than half of them are four-plus minutes while a couple clock in at over six. Loose and rambling explorations can often make for a thrilling ride when they go somewhere, but if they are content to merely circle back on themselves things can be quite a drag. As a result, many of these tracks would benefit from some editing. If these selections were whittled down a bit, this could have been a pretty decent EP of space cadet blues.

Another reason that these songs don't live up to the second track's promise is that Blakeslee's vocals drip with an overwrought earnestness that soon weighs on the listeners' ears. In fact, his decision to stretch and elongate every word ends up turning his vocals into little more than a droning presence that one increasingly wishes to tune out. It's a shame too, 'cause some of his unorthodox guitar work is worth checking out. Some more variation in phrasing and a couple more uptempo tracks a la the James' cover would do much to remedy this situation and lift this album out of its fog.

All of this may seem a bit harsh, and it is regrettably so. Blakeslee is definitely impassioned and sincere. But for now, one would have to concede that Entrance is more noun than verb. Blakeslee has clearly opened the door of perception on his debut. Let's hope that his following efforts are as entrancing as his name suggests.

Barin McGrath
Junkmedia.org Review

Description of Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Blues
• Pop
• Rock